1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to portable electronic apparatuses constituted by a pair of casings coupled to each other.
2. Background Art
Conventionally, there have been known portable electronic apparatuses constituted by a pair of casings coupled to each other, such that both the casings are provided with respective display surfaces, thereby enabling both the display surfaces to offer larger amounts of information to users.
Such portable electronic apparatuses are adapted, for example, to allow both the casings to move with respect to each other, between a single-surface exposed state (a closed state) where the pair of casings are overlaid on each other, the lower casing (a first casing) is covered at its display surface (a first display surface) with the upper casing (a second casing), and only the display surface (a second display surface) in the second casing is exposed, and a double-surface exposed state where the second casing has been moved with respect to the first casing, and the display surfaces of both the casings are exposed.
In the double-surface exposed state, the second casing has been brought into an open state where the second display surface is flushed with the first display surface in the same plane.
In a portable electronic apparatus constituted by a first casing, a second casing and a coupling mechanism which couples the first and second casings to each other as described above, electronic components incorporated in the first casing and electronic components incorporated in the second casing are electrically connected to each other through a flexible lead.
In this case, the flexible lead extends from the inside of the first casing to the inside of the second casing through the inside of the coupling mechanism.
When both the casings are moved with respect to each other to take an open state and a closed state, the flexible lead extending to the inside of the second casing through the inside of the coupling mechanism is pulled along with the sliding of the second casing.
Therefore, a certain degree of leeway is provided in the length of the flexible lead, in order to prevent excessive forces from being exerted on the flexible lead. However, this increases the length of the flexible lead by an amount corresponding to the leeway, which may cause the flexible lead to be loosened more than necessary.
It is an object of the present invention to provide a portable electronic apparatus including a first casing, a second casing and a coupling mechanism which couples the first and second casings to each other to take a closed state and an open state and, further, including a sliding mechanism interposed between the coupling mechanism and the second casing for enabling the second casing to slide toward the first casing in the open state, the portable electronic apparatus being adapted to eliminate the necessity of providing a flexible lead extending from the inside of the first casing to the inside of the second casing through the inside of the coupling mechanism with looseness more than necessary.